Greetings, readers who know how to hide the bodies of deceased hummingbirds. Hey, man, I just wanted to see what happens when they drink Irn Bru. Welcome to another edition of our “off again, off again, hey it’s on again!” single reviews column. Granted, some of them aren’t singles, but I liked them and made my stupid human collaborators review ‘em. A huevo que sí.

This week’s singles come courtesy of Jonathan Demme, the guy who directed films and now spends his time hunting killer wallabies in the Australian Outback.

Ah, singles, right:

Firesuite – Rabbit

It’s always hard to describe what this band sounds like. It certainly is loud and has emotional weight without the paunch to stop them from zig-zagging through genres. It has a lot of shoegaze, so let’s sod genres and talk about this beautiful track, equally tragic and happy. “Underneath you’re getting older/We believed we’d live forever” is the strongest lyrical moment in this track (hey, time and tide and all that), while the emotions cut deep in that instrumental, spacey bit that leads to an hypnotic bassline that’s both melancholic and wistful. Contradicting emotions move this forward. – Sam.

Steel Trees – Stoner Zombie Killer Kids

Batman once said “Punk is nothing but death and crime and the rage of a beast!” and after that, he was signed to appear in a reaction shot in this video, which is a new groovy rocker from Steel Trees, local peddlers of heavy rock and some truly beautiful riffs (love the fade-out). Between chavs drinking chavjuice (that’s Fosters), Batman on an off day and an ultimate cock-tease, Steel Trees have certainly whetted my appetite. This is a good piscolabis. – Orestes “P is for Phunkasaurus” Xistos.

Gunning for Tamar – Dark Sky Tourism

A rather nice addition to the soundtrack of The Summer that never Was (TM), Gunning for Tamar know that the weather has been a bit shit, that telly has been a bit samey (what’s with the five rings showing everywhere?) and that we need some punk music with a complex form. Thankfully, this Oxford band knows their labyrinth skills work well in music, as ‘Dark Sky Tourism’ starts as punk, goes for some math rock and then abruptly ends when it was getting strong. They enforce that “always leave them wanting more”. Bastards. Mission accomplised. – Sam.

Dan Pearson – One for conversation

Mr. Pearson kicks the cowboy hat and goes for the full American hootin’ and hollerin’ (although I smell a bit of Billy Idol meets John Cougar Mellencamp here) in ‘One for conversation’, straight up rocker with a cranked-up solo that will not upstage the rest of the bandmembers but will satisfy the ones looking for some six string action. Slightly pop but with enough teeth to leave a mark.- Orestes “P. is for Punk IPA marinated chicken” Xistos

Conveyor – Anne

Holy… this is the track that sold me Conveyor’s latest album. Why? Because amidst the happy-go-lucky tropical shenanigans that the band needlepoints everywhere, ‘Anne’ is deceptively happy and dreamy (all about those vocal harmonies layered together). It really leads you to a happy, colourful place…and then it turns ominous, with a heavily reverberated, echoed loop that turns more and more robotic (and unsettling). You know that scene in Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory when they go into that creepy tunnel? This is the track that a would be Youtube tribute video maker will use to unsettle you as much as the first time that curly-haired exploiter of Oompah Loompahs took some kids through a non-approved tunnel that clearly violated four (4) OSHA standards. I need a hug. – Sam.

Gaoler’s Daughter – When we were young

A strange combination, this one is. Sorry, went Yoda for a minute there I did. ‘When we were young’ is nostalgic (in lyrics) but happy and indie (in music). It’s that clash of ideas that harks back to those confusing days in your youth, when nothing made sense any more. Jump a few years down the line and everything becomes less clear and the realisation that many goals and dreams you had will never come to pass. ‘When we were young’ is almost as bittersweet as that realisation. Good song.- Orestes “P. is for Phreaking out in a midlife crisis” Xistos

And that’s all they wrote…see you next friday for MORE singles. Oh yeah. We cannae be stopped, laddie! – Orestes.

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